Operation Falling Comet

Operation Falling Comet (18 June-24 July 2006) was an Israeli Defense Force (IDF) military operation carried out against Palestine in the Gaza Strip. Masterminded by Lieutenant-General Aram Schechter, the operation's goals were to incapacitate the Hamas organization when its commander Hamdi Satter appeared in an internet-circulated video that featured him declaring that Hamas would begin rocket attacks against Israel. In response, the IDF launched an invasion of the Gaza Strip with assistance from the Israeli Air Force and some special forces, and they managed to exterminate much of the Hamas leadership in their rocket-launching initiative. They also killed a few Fatah commanders in the process, and the operation left 67 Israelis and 565 Palestinians dead.

Background
Although the 1993 Oslo Accords helped to set a roadmap for peace between Israel and Palestine in the Middle East, the Second Intifada of 2000-2005 resulted in a huge crash in Israel-Palestine relations. The Palestinian National Authority (PNA), led by Mahmoud Abbas, stated that its mission was to pursue peace with Israel, although the ruling Fatah party operated the terrorist Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades (which carried out several attacks against Israeli civilians) and praised terrorist attacks. In addition, the Hamas militant group in the Gaza Strip launched rockets into Israeli cities, as well as committing terrorist attacks such as suicide bombings, stabbings, and shootings.

On 12 June 2006, Hamas spokesman Hamdi Satter appeared in a video posted on Hamas' website online. The video was a message from the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades to Israel, stating that Hamas would carry out rocket attacks against them in revenge for their crushing of the Second Intifada. Israel's military, the Israeli Defense Force (IDF), was prepared by their officers for warfare, and reservists were called up in the case of a war. The IDF military command met in secret in Tel Aviv, and Lieutenant-General Aram Schechter proposed an invasion of the Gaza Strip to cripple Hamas and their rockets. Their launching sites were located mainly in civilian areas, such as mosques, schools, hospitals, and private residences, so IDF ground forces would have to take them out in close combat instead of the Israeli Air Force bombing the sites. The IAF did, however, provide some air support for the IDF troops during the operation.

Plan
The plan for the invasion was rather complex: it involved IDF ground forces working in concert with Mossad and Shin Bet special forces and the Israeli Air Force (IAF). General Schechter developed a battle plan for the operation based on Shin Bet-gathered intelligence, and he received satellite images of rocket sites. The IDF were to target: a mosque in Nazla, a school in Al-Shati, five apartments in the Jabalia regufee camp, an apartment on Omar Al-Mokhtar Street in the Rimal neighborhood of the Gaza Strip. The IDF would also clear out other targeted buildings identified during the operation, and the IAF would bomb select military sites that were devoid of civilians. In addition to rocket sites, the IDF and IAF would target some Palestinian terrorist leaders in Gaza City loyal to Hamas and Fatah. With no leaders and no rocket sites, Hamas would be permanently damaged.

18 June
At 5:53 PM (17:53), the first strikes were carried out against Hamas in the Gaza Strip by the Israeli Air Force. Five IAF bombers laid smoke bombs along a road in the Jabalia refugee camp, warning the Palestinian civilians to leave the area. At 6:00 PM, the first barrage of 200-pound bombs were dropped along the lane, destroying five Hamas-held buildings. Approximately 32 Hamas militants were killed in the strike. With this bombing, Hamas alerted its forces across the city, and they mustered their militia in response to the IAF strike.

At 7:32 PM, the IAF carried out a carpet bombing of the Jabalia refugee camp to destroy Hamas fighting positions set up near the destroyed road. The bombing destroyed several Hamas sandbag positions, crumbled many apartments, and engulfed Hamas vehicles in flames. Around 50 Hamas militants were killed in the strike, and Hamas leader Khaled Mashal issued a warning statement to Israel, saying that they would regret it if they carried out a third strike.

Ignoring these warnings, Israel dispatched a parachute regiment to assault the refugee camp, which was in ruins at this point. The Hamas forces in the area were summoned to resist the IDF unit, which was 200-strong. The Israelis secured an imporant Hamas police checkpoint in the casbah of the district, and used satellite-guided missiles to destroy other Hamas buildings. In addition, more IDF units arrived on pontoon boats along the shoreline. The first five Shin Bet operatives arrived on the shoreline of North Gaza in the Jabalia district and helped to set up a base camp, allowing more IDF troops to arrive.

19 June
On the second day of the operation, the IDF launched a morning offensive against the Hamas in northern Gaza's Rimal neighborhood. The Omar Al-Mohktar Street apartment was captured from Hamas and the rocket launcher was destroyed by IDF special forces, weakening Hamas. In addition to this, the IDF destroyed several Hamas convoys using predator drones. The IAF bombed a Hamas ammunition dump in Shejaiya on the eastern side of town, and they proceeded to capture several Hamas bases.

20 June
On the third day of the operation, the IDF landed more troops in the city. The IAF bombed several targeted buildings, and man Hamas leaders were killed. The IDF sent more troops into the city, and they were able to dispose of several Hamas positions.

21 June-2 July
The Hamas group continued to resist the IDF on 21 June, but resistance was slim. The IDF and Mossad succeeded in locating many leaders and assassinating them, and they also took out several Fatah leaders. By 2 July, almost all of the Palestinian leaders were neutralized. In addition, during this time Israel bombed out all of the targeted locations. They were successful in their operations, destroying the key Hamas centres and killing almost all of the targeted Palestinian leaders.

End of the Operation: 2-24 July
From 2 to 24 July, the IDF continued their mopping-up operations in the Gaza Strip. They decided to set a deadline for 24 July, and they would withdraw by then. The IDF withdrew on 24 July 2006, following a month-long campaign in the Gaza Strip that left over 500 Palestinians dead. The campaign resulted in an Israeli victory, leaving much of Gaza in ruins. It took a while for Hamas to rebuild the city and reconstruct their missile sites, but they were temporarily disabled.